WSU’s rushing attack has improved leaps and bounds. Why aren’t the Cougs taking advantage?

PULLMAN — Not even a calendar year ago, Washington State’s rushing game was mostly invisible. The Cougars couldn’t create much of a push up front, and the more opponents realized they couldn’t run with credibility, the more WSU’s offense suffered.

So nonexistent was the Cougs’ rushing attack that season that Pro Football Focus handed the unit a grade of 77.2, second-worst in the Pac-12 and No. 106 nationally, underscoring just how difficult it was for them to convince teams they should respect their ground game.

Suddenly, all of that has changed. WSU’s run game this fall has earned a PFF grade of 86.1, good for No. 17 in the country, the program’s highest since 2011, the first year of PFF data. True freshman Wayshawn Parker has unlocked the Cougs’ rushing game with a compelling blend of speed and vision, and with a dual-threat quarterback like John Mateer at the controls, WSU is enjoying its best rushing season in some time.

Why aren’t the Cougars taking advantage?

In a 25-17 win over Fresno State last weekend, WSU had recorded just nine tailback touches headed into the fourth quarter. When the Cougs did turn to Parker, needing to run clock late in the fourth quarter, he cashed in, totaling 63 rushing yards on 12 carries. Even when the Bulldogs knew the Cougars would be rushing, they couldn’t stop it, and Parker made them pay.

For the game, Parker averaged 5.3 yards per carry, confirming what was obvious to the naked eye: When WSU did give him touches, Parker took full advantage. But the Cougs’ other two running backs, Djouvensky Schlenbaker and Leo Pulalasi, combined for one yard on two carries. Could they have taken advantage like Parker did?

“(It’s) a want-to go in and call the plays,” WSU coach Jake Dickert said. “We feel like we had some outside zone stuff, and that’s what we got going late. We just gotta get to it earlier. I put that on obviously, Ben (Arbuckle, offensive coordinator) play-calling, but the whole staff, myself, we’re in charge of all those things that put our guys in the best positions to win football games. I’ve said it for two years: running the football is a big part of that.”

Dickert is right that WSU’s rushing attack has been best to the outside. Running to the outside left this season, Parker has registered 25 carries for 195 yards and both of his two touchdowns. Mateer’s effectiveness on the ground has diminished as teams key in on WSU’s quarterback draws, but through half of the season, he is still averaging 7.9 yards per carry — second most in the country by a quarterback.

The Cougars’ run-blocking has improved this season, but only marginally. Last season, WSU’s offensive line earned a PFF run-blocking grade of 51.0, one of the lowest marks in the nation. This season, that number is 55.0, which ranks No. 108 in the country.

So even with an offensive line that has languished in the run-blocking grade, WSU’s rushing offense has improved dramatically. It stands to reason the Cougs would be ready to exploit that, handing the ball off to Parker, to Pulalasi and Schlenbaker, running Mateer. But at least in their win over Fresno State last Saturday, they didn’t do so the way they could have.

“It’s gotta be part of our identity, and we’ve been good at it this year,” Dickert said. “So to not really test the waters, I don’t think was good enough.”

Part of that has to do with the way teams are defending Mateer, who is having some trouble with his accuracy. Through six games, he is completing 56.7% of his passes, which ranks fifth-lowest in the country among quarterbacks with 200-plus dropbacks. Among QBs with at least 30 passes of 20-plus air yards, he’s earned a PFF grade of 63.4 on deep passes, which is No. 29 of 32 quarterbacks.

So it’s no coincidence that against Fresno State, Mateer tallied just 46 rushing yards on 18 carries, many of those coming on scrambles, which aren’t the kinds of QB draws he was capitalizing on earlier in the season. It’s clear that teams are adjusting their defense against him.

“I think you have to,” Dickert said after the FSU game. “I think you can’t let him get out of the pocket, and he’s gotta be a little bit more decisive when that happens. I know there were a couple throwaway opportunities in tonight’s game, took a sack instead of just — throw it away. You can’t make all the plays.”

That much is true. To remedy the issue, the Cougs might simplify things and get Parker more touches.